Page Titles

The page title that is important to a search engine is the text you see at the very top of a browser window, not the one you see on the Web page itself. It must be coded into your metatags. Using “Welcome!” as the page title doesn’t give a search engine any usable information. Try something more keyword rich, i.e. “Web and Internet Marketing Advice including Search Engine Optimization Information from IntegriMark”.

Make sure each individual page on your site has a title appropriate to its content because a title full of keywords on each page may give your site a boost in its ranking. When there is a disconnect between the title and the page’s content, it doesn’t penalize you, but it doesn’t help you either.

Authority: Links TO Your Site

Probably the most important task you can perform to make search engines improve your rank is not something you can do to your site itself; it’s something you must ask others to do for you. Search engines will determine how relevant a site is by the number of other sites that link TO it. Please note that it is not the same as the number of links FROM your site to others; it’s just the opposite. If another site links TO yours, then yours must have information worth linking to – making it important, raising its level of “authority”.

How can you get others to link to your site? Two ways – ask or pay. First you may want to tap organizations you belong to, your vendors, partners, or others, to ask them to link to you. The more of these opportunities you can find, the more of an authority you will be. Those organizations may ask you for a reciprocal link – a link to you in trade for a link to them. If you have a Resource or Links page on your site, it’s a great way to accommodate them. Both sites will benefit.

Many search engines provide opportunities for you to pay for placement at the tops of their results. Google is a good example. If you type your keywords into Google and you find sites listed on the right side of the page, and some that are highlighted at the top of the page, then those site owners have paid a premium to have their sites listed in those places. You can do the same. It can be expensive, but it may be worth it to you.

In many business segments, directory companies have purchased the most important keywords from the search engines, and they sell space in their directories. Try inputting your keywords into each search engine to see what directories show up at the top. Then click on them to see what they would charge you to include a link to your site. Again, it may be worth the cost to you to get that important link to improve your site’s authority.

Submitting Your Site to Search Engines

The final, but perhaps the most important task, is to make sure the search engines know your site exists. You’ll need to do this individually; look for the place in each search engine that tells you how to “Add Your URL” or “Submit Your Site.” Some charge for the service, others are free. Aas of January 2005, you need only submit only to the Big Four: Google, Yahoo, MSN and the Open Directory project, because all other search engines get their information from them.

Sign up to receive Daly Communications Web Marketing Tips

Return to Web Marketing Tips